Athletic apparel maker Under Armour (NASDAQ: UA) has been heroic of late, with strong earnings on its increasingly ubiquitous polyester tough-guy sports apparel, and sneakers that defied the crushing consumer spending slowdown.

But even tough products can crack. Apparently that was the fault the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission found with Under Armour's athletic cups when it issued a recall for over 200,000 protective cups bearing Under Armour's logo. Manufactured in China, the cups could shatter if hit, potentially resulting in serious injuries to cup-wearer.

When we first noted a small-ish recall which were recalled yesterday and, at first blush, the alert looks as if it could be as widespread and enormous as the peanut butter recall (mollified a little by the fact peanuts are far more ubiquitous than pistachios). recall of canned pistachios early yesterday, it was limited to Kroger (NYSE: KR) and, frankly, made little in the way of waves. Later, the news began to hearken to the beginning of the peanut recall, in which I wondered how many foods could be impacted (oh, I had no idea!). The pistachio nuts' originator, Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella, Calif., decided to recall its 2008 crop after Kraft (NYSE: KFT) tested some of its pistachio-containing products and found "several types of salmonella." Where the possibly tainted pistachios ended up isn't clear, but Kraft pulled a trail mix with pistachios.

The nuts were sent in 1,000-pound and 2000-pound bags to wholesalers, who then parceled the pistachios further to redistribute them among retailers and manufacturers. As I wrote on DailyFinance, this is yet another example of a food industry that is built on logistics, not food; quality ingredients are marketing, not reality. Neither Kroger nor Kraft nor even (to point a finger at random) Unilever's Haagen-Dazs ice cream can trace to the individual farm the origin of all of their ingredients, no matter how many times the packaging mentions it.

It's further proof that food safety is not truly possible in the industry as it currently stands.

Managers at Peanut Corporation of America must be thanking the country whose name the company invokes so boldly in its name: that it is not China. For were Peanut Corporation of America Chinese, managers would surely be facing the death penalty. Today officials at the FDA revealed that the Georgia plant responsible for the salmonella outbreak currently linked to eight deaths and 500 sicknesses across the country -- and leading to recalls of more than 100 products -- knowingly shipped peanut butter contaminated with salmonella.

In a dozen tests over a two-year period, internal testing revealed salmonella in peanut butter at the plant, but it was shipped, anyway. The plant was riddled with four separate strains of salmonella in tests conducted by the CDC. Panicky consumers (me, for instance) have already started to forgo purchasing other peanut butter products from manufacturers not linked to the recall.

When I wrote yesterday about the recall of peanut butter due to salmonella poisoning (which is now considered possibly responsible for five adults' deaths), I worried that the "complex" and "widespread" description of the outbreak by the CDC could mean that, not only was the institutional peanut butter spread to thousands of school and corporate cafeterias, but also, the peanut butter might be in other products. Today's move by Kellogg (NYSE: K) to voluntarily pull Keebler and Austin peanut butter crackers off retailers' shelves says to me that we could have no idea how "complex" and "widespread" this disease might be. Kellogg will be investigating to see if its products include tainted peanut butter.

Kellogg products included in the investigation include peanut butter sandwich crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwich crackers, cheese and peanut butter sandwich crackers, and peanut butter-chocolate sandwich crackers. Kellogg stock was down about 60 cents on the news, to $42.07 as of 1 p.m.

'Green' moms are calling the move by Kellogg a good one; but, as it's only removing items from shelves and not a recall (and is only one company when it could be many more which are affected by the tainted peanut butter), perhaps it doesn't go far enough. Part of the complication: Austin peanut butter crackers are sold in vending machines and small, independent convenience stores, among other places, making their removal fraught with mechanical and communication problems. And my money says more companies will soon follow suit and pull peanut butter off the market.

Peanut butter manufactured at the Blakely, Ga. plant of the Peanut Butter Corporation of America after July 1, 2008, sold under the brand Parnell's Pride and King Nut, is being voluntarily recalled this week due to potential for salmonella poisoning. The peanut butter is sold institutionally and not at the retail level; meaning that tainted product could be in your children's school lunches, in corporate cafeterias, in retirement home dining rooms, or in baked goods and other packaged foods containing peanut butter. One death in Virginia and two deaths in Minnesota are probably tied to the outbreak.

According to the CDC, "This is a complex, widespread outbreak that appears to be ongoing." The outbreak affects 43 states and, because most of the products sold to end consumers are unlabeled (and many of them are sold to the very young and very old, who are both the most susceptible to the disease, and the least likely to critically evaluate the foods they are eating), it could affecting thousands of small businesses and public companies.

This recall, certainly not the first time peanut butter has killed, brings new questions about the safety of all peanut butter products. Is one of America's favorite foods a disastrous choice (and not just for the allergic)? Will major candy makers like Hershey (NYSE: HSY) have to re-evaluate popular peanut-butter based brands? How long will consumers accept such "complex, widespread" deadly diseases before choosing to put the peanut butter sandwiches and peanut butter chocolates back on the shelf?

If one is honest with oneself, she will recognize that the most exotic ingredients in her Italian-themed frozen foods are likely the plastic trays they're packaged in. A new recall for Lean Cuisine frozen chicken meals ("approximately" 879,565 pounds of them) offers the addition of one more exotic ingredient: "foreign matter," namely bits of hard plastic of unknown origin that caused at least one injury.

The company which packaged the products, Nestle Prepared Foods Company of Springville, Utah, is voluntarily recalling the products after several consumer complaints and the lone injury. The three meals that are part of the recall are the 10.5-ounce "chicken mediterranean" pictured here; 9.5-ounce "pesto chicken with bow-tie pasta" and 12.5-ounce "chicken tuscan." Further information about specific bar codes and sell-by dates can be found at the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

While this is in no way a serious health risk, the enormous size of the recall and the timing -- coming in an environment in which budget-conscious consumers are beginning to question the true "convenience," nutritional value and safety of packaged food -- will be somewhat harmful for the convenience food industry as a whole. As someone who is taking a more cautious eye toward the food she is feeding her family, I have been asking questions such as, "if pieces of hard plastic weren't even recognized until consumers complained, what invisible ingredients have been slipping through without reparation or admittance?" In food, that what you can't see; and don't recognize for many years; is the most harmful of all.

Sony Corp. (NYSE: SNE) has issued a recall for some of it's popular Vaio laptops today due to an overheating problem that some consumers have encountered with their machines.

So far, the company has received 209 reports of the popular machines overheating on users, and in 7 instances, users received minor burns as a result of the overheating laptops.

The computers in question involve 19 models in the Vaio TZ series that were produced between the months of May 2007 and July 2008. According to Sony, the problem is a result of some improper wire connections in the hinge between the laptop body and the the monitor that appears to be wearing out and causing short circuits in the machines.

Of the seven injuries that have been reported, five were reported in Japan, and one in both the United States as well as Italy.

The recalled machines are located all over the globe, with around 373,000 of the computers being sold in 48 different countries. The remaining 67,000 recalled machines were sold in Japan.

If you think that your computer may be a part of this recall, you should definitely contact Sony to find out.

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last four years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.

An Associated Press news release stated that Malt-O-Meal has voluntarily recalled several breakfast cereals in connection with 23 cases of salmonella poisoning in 14 states. The press release indicates that the recall, issued April 5, 2008 is aimed at bags of cereal which were produced in the last 12 months at Malt-O-Meal's Northfield Minnesota facility.

The company is privately held.

The press release states: "(The cereals) were distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal brand name, as well as private labels including Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. The cereal bags have "best if used by" dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as APR0808), through March 18, 2009 (coded as MAR1809).

The company urges consumers to discard any unused cereal bearing the effected dates. Retailers have been notified to remove affected product from their shelves. For complete details on this recall, you may review the company's own public notice of recall on the Malt-O-Meal website.

Malt-O-Meal President and CEO Chris Neugent states in the company press release: "Malt-O-Meal has a strong food safety record and we are constantly looking for ways to improve our products and procedures to exceed industry standards. We have a strong food safety program in place throughout our operations, including our warehouse, processing facility and distribution system."


Gary Sattler is a freelance blogger and the Malt-O-Meal, Cinnamon Toasters cereal he ate this morning was quite delicious.

On January 16, 2008, a voluntary recall of approximately 5,400 John Deere Compact Utility Tractors was initiated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with Deere and Co. (NYSE: DE). The problem with the tractors is described as a forward drive pedal that can get stuck, creating a potential for loss of control and injury to people.

The recalled tractor's model number is 3203, and you may check the CPSC press release for specific serial numbers. It is suggested that consumers discontinue using these particular tractors and contact a John Deere dealer to schedule a free repair. You may reach Deere & Company at (800) 537-8233 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. ET Saturday. You are also invited to visit the company website at: www.johndeere.com.

Toyota Motor Co. (NYSE: TM) has issued a safety recall involving 264,000 of its luxury cars over faulty fuel pipes. Included in the recall are 49,000 Lexus vehicles sold overseas.

The recall is a result of faulty fuel pipes that pose the threat of cracks and corrosion which could result in fuel leakage. So far there have been no reports of any injuries related to this problem, but there have been 39 cases of troubles in Japan from the defect.

It has been a tough week for Toyota. On Tuesday the company entered into a civil trial that claims the company produced and sold thousands of Corollas equipped with unsafe seatbelts. In this civil case, 19 year old Gurinder Singh claims that his 60 year old father would still be alive if not for a faulty seatbelt in his Toyota Corolla.

Unfortunately for parents out there preparing for the upcoming holiday season, this past year's toy recalls have to be a constant reason for concern, and today we get news of another recall. By now we are pretty adjusted to reading news of recalls due to high levels of lead paint, but today's recall involves something a little more alarming ... a date rape drug!

Yes, you read that right, it has been announced that millions of toy products in North America and Australia have been taken off the shelves after it was discovered that they contained chemicals that, when digested, convert into the date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate (street name of GHB). The toys in question are toy beads that go by the name Aqua Dots, and are considered a highly popular holiday item, which is distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master Toys. For Australian consumers, the toy sells under the name of Bindeez.

Just how popular is this toy line? This year in Australia it was named toy of the year. Just how dangerous is the ingestion of the drug? If swallowed, one of these beads can induce unconsciousness, seizures, drowsiness, coma and death.

Is it time to start selling your Mattel, Inc., (NYSE: MAT) stock? In Yet Another incidence of Fisher Price toys being tainted (figuratively and literally) with lead, Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) has pulled the Fisher Price Medical Kit from its web site after a Consumer Reports article that questioned the lead content in the kit's toy blood pressure cuff. Mattel has insisted that children can play doctor safely because the toy "meets the requirements set forth in the federal regulations and international consumer product safety standards, including the existing standards for lead content." Note Mattel did not claim that the toy was free from lead.

As I've mentioned before, these toy recalls have lead (har!) me to the conclusion that it's just not worth buying plastic toys for my children any more. I've been flipping through the Nova Natural catalog to plan for holiday buying and regularly carting off boxes of my boys' plastic toys to Goodwill.

Judging by the excitement over leaked Black Friday ads, it seems as if I'm a rarity. This news does bring out a couple of questions, however:

• Will we soon start seeing vigilante recalls like this one from Amazon.com as retailers work to minimize their risk in toy recalls?
• Does it cost enough to effect a recall that it might make sense to anger a major supplier like Mattel?
• Isn't this recall just a little bit too ironic? My blood pressure is rising, too!

Answers would be appreciated; though of course my biggest question will remain unanswered for some time, ergo, how long will consumers continue to put up with unsafe products?

Mattel Inc. (NYSE: MAT) shares are trading higher today after a Barron's analyst forecast on Sunday that as the recent toy recall crisis subsides and investors gain confidence, Mattel stock should make considerable gains. The analyst predicted that Mattel stock could rebound as much as 50%. If you think that the company won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on MAT.

After hitting a one-year high of $29.71 in April, the stock hit a one-year low of 20.27 on Friday. MAT opened this morning at $21.31. So far today the stock has hit a low of $21.05 and a high of $22.07. As of 10:40, MAT is trading at $21.61, up $1.11 (5.4%). The chart for MAT looks neutral and steady, while S&P gives the stock a 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy rating.

Target (NYSE: TGT) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced a recall of the popular Cars movie-themed backpacks which contain magnets that could become dislodged. Any small pieces that can easily be taken off any consumer product are a choking hazard to small children.

Again and again, Chinese manufacturers and U.S. vendors can't seem to design products made for children that won't end up with parts that can come off and be swallowed by kids. We're cracking into the human genome in another field, but hey, forget backpack design, right? My goodness, must be a toughie.

110,000 Chinese-made Cars backpacks are being recalled after magnets fell out of a piece of the plastic enclosure attached to the backpacks in three separate instances, although no subsequent injuries were reported. The backpacks in question were sold at Target stores nationwide from February through September of this year for $13 each.

So, this may not be a lead-paint recall issue from Chinese-sourced products, but that does not diminish the fact that it's still just as important. With China now making 80% of the world's toys, the parade of recalls is sure to continue. Stay tuned to BloggingStocks for more coverage of product recalls from the retail industry as they happen, because they will.

We have another toy recall on our hands today. This one involves one of our most beloved icons, Winnie the Pooh.

Today's recall involves around 90,000 items, 70,400 of which were imported by J.C. Penney Company (NYSE: JCP) and feature the beloved Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) character Winnie the Pooh. The culprit is, once again, excessive levels of lead paints. The actual products J.C. Penney was forced to recall were Winnie the Pooh playsets and decorative ornaments with a horse-theme, as well as art kits made in Taiwan and Vietnam.

The good news is that many retailers like J.C. Penney are doing their best to try to keep these toxic toys from landing in the hands of children. Earlier this summer, the company decided to hire an independent laboratory to run tests on all of its painted toys. These independent evaluations, which started in August, are credited with catching today's recalled toys.